Label Review.

2019 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

Argentinian vocal trio Fémina are releasing their new album ‘Perlas & Conchas’ and the group have honed their sound around close harmonies, merging soulful, swung hip-hop with traditional Latin folk rhythms, moving seamlessly between Spanish rap and intoxicating melodies. The album was produced by UK musician and producer Quantic, who has spent much of the last decade in Colombia and the first album created in his new Selva Studios space in New York which also features Iggy Pop.

Fémina channels blissed out, harmony-soaked soul music with a purpose. Lyrically poignant with hip hop and Latin influences, 'Perlas & Conchas' is the group's third album proper and unlike previous long players, is primarily an electronic statement.Made up of Clara Miglioli and the two Trucco sisters, Sofia and Clara, the group's roots are in San Martín de los Andes in the Patagonian mountains, where they grew up together sharing a love of '90s hip-hop imported from the US - as well as the occasional Spanish-speaking rapper from Mexico or Spain. They took a musical side-step when Clara Trucco joined, and began drawing more from vocal harmonies and playing live instruments - a process that led them toward their unique style: a combination of soul, hip-hop and traditional Latin American music. The title "Perlas & Conchas" translates to 'Pearls and Shells', a reference to the process through which a pearl is created: a speck of dirt, encased in a shell, turned into an object of wonder. They want to do the same thing with their music: to take dark, difficult situations and turn them into positivity.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on CD. 

Our Overview. 

Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have been together for 30 years but it wasn't until 1992 that they began in earnest, initially Djing as 'The Dust Brothers' but soon turned to producing their own instrumental tracks to insert into their sets. They were spotted by the Junior Boy's Own label who released their first single "Song To The Siren" in 1993. As well as building their own repertoire, they remixed other artists and quickly made a name for themselves. They probably knew they had made it when the original Dust Brothers (a us production team who masterminded the Beastie Boys second album 'Paul's Boutique') requested they change their name. And thus the Chemical Brothers were born. A deal with Virgin Records saw their debut album 'Exit Planet Dust' released in 1995 and by the time of their second album 'Dig Your Own Hole', they had scored back to back UK Number 1's and every studio album since then has also made Number One!

To realise their ninth album 'No Geography', The Chemical Brothers built tracks vocal samples; voices were wound tightly into music that Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons found themselves following wherever it led them. Snatches of dialogue from the late ’60s experimental Dial-A-Poem project were chosen that reflected the mood in the studio. Songs were road tested in front of audiences as part of the 2018 live set (which took in two shows at Alexandra Palace – the band’s biggest UK headline shows to date) and honed in regular DJ sets the world over.

'No Geography' features "Free Yourself" and "MAH" (described as “a short & bloody ride into our modern media psychosis” by The Guardian) in addition to "Got To Keep On". Several of the tracks on 'No Geography' feature vocals by Norwegian singer/songwriter Aurora who wrote and recorded parts in the band’s studio in close collaboration with the band. Japanese rapper Nene features on the record’s opening cut "Eve of Destruction".

Label Review.

2019 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

The Briefs have announced their much awaited album ‘Platinum Rats’ - 12 tracks of pure punk rock pandemonium, it will not disappoint! - which is the bands fifth and their first since 2005’s ’Steal Ya Heart’. The fall of 2000 was a time of innocence. Clinton was President. The Twin Towers were still standing. And Bob Seger still had his dignity. Then the Briefs burst onto the scene like a neutron bomb with the audaciously titled “Hit After Hit” and the punk rock landscape was changed forever. They have so much energy, it’s hard to believe they’re from Seattle, the city that put lattes and flannel on the map. The Briefs still make Seattle their home, but they’ve come a long way since their debut record, and they’re still cranking out hits. One of the hardest working bands in America. They’ll play any time, anywhere!

Their ’77-style pop punk is loud, raucous and fierce, yet cohesive and hooky and hilarious. The Briefs are like a team of Chinese acrobats falling down the stairs on purpose. And when I say “pop” I mean popular in the broadest sense possible. The fifteen year-old mall hottie is a fan, but so is the 40 year-old stalwart with the pristine Undertones collection. Sure The Briefs wear their influences on their sleeve – Adverts, Buzzcocks, Weirdos to name just a few -- but they cop to them like junkies caught tying off in the alley with a skinny tie. They can’t help it. It’s in their blood. Listen you’ll understand. The groove is familiar but they’ve got a sound that’s all their own and uniquely unique.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on CD. 

Our Overview. 

Less than a year after their last album ‘Performance’, the ever-prolific White Denim are back with their eighth record ‘Side Effects’. More in line with the experimental, freewheeling spirit of their fan-favorite record ‘Last Day of Summer’ than anything else they’ve done since, ‘Side Effects’ is a record that captures the essence of the band’s full-throttle live shows. Featuring a rotating cast of band members led by James Petralli and Steve Terebecki, these tracks draw on the sounds of different personnel to create a cohesive whole – the result being an album that’s as varied and vivacious as anything they’ve ever done.

If you’re coming back to White Denim after a few years away, ‘Side Effects’ most likely picks up exactly where you left off: a record showcasing a hugely energetic band bursting at the seams. And if you never checked out, then ‘Side Effects’ is instead a wholly rewarding record – one that celebrates every form of White Denim to date and sets the stage for a brand-new chapter.

Label Review. 

2019 album also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

The Rockingbirds - London’s alt country pioneers - have announced the release of their fourth album ‘More Rockingbirds’. Following their last album, the critically acclaimed ‘The Return Of The Rockingbirds’ in 2013, ‘More Rockingbirds’ is their first to include new members, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla and drummer Stephen Gilchrist. Recorded in Hackney in Sean Read’s own Famous Times Studios the album was produced by Sean with assistance from Gem Archer.

All the songs were written by singer Alan Tyler when he was living on a boat off the River Thames on the tidal Deptford Creek. Some of the songs are clearly influenced by the urban, yet watery surroundings. Elsewhere on the album you will find their usual strident country rockers, featuring a vast array of instruments, from guitars, pedal steel and banjos to trumpets and trombones, all of which were played by various members of the band.

They will launching the album with a live appearance at the Ramblin’ Roots Revue Americana Festival on the 13th April 2019.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

English folk royalty meets Australian soul in this new collaboration between Marry Waterson and Emily Barker; an album of fly-on-the-wall observations of the contradictions and disconnections of modern life.

No strangers to collaboration, Waterson and Barker discovered an immediate kinship when they started writing together. The intriguing combination of Waterson’s poetic lyrics and Barker’s eclectic musicality has been shaped in the studio by musical polymath Adem Ilhan, with recording contributions from two of Barker’s live live band: Lukas Drinkwater (bass and guitar) and Rob Pemberton (drums). Serendipity worked her magic in bringing Waterson, Barker and Adem together. Their first meeting was at a songwriting retreat run by Waterson’s One Little Indian labelmate, Kathryn Williams. Three songs from that retreat formed the kernel of what was to become a full album. “It came very easily. I think we were meant to meet.” says Waterson of that first encounter.

With no self-imposed restrictions on musical direction, the studio sessions allowed the songs to take their own path, roaming from the sub-3-minute indie-pop of “Perfect Needs” via the sparse jazz-blues of “Trick of the Light” to the epic alt-folk of “All Is Well”. “Little Hits of Dopamine” took shape when Lukas introduced the trippy double bass groove that underpins the whole track, and the album is liberally smattered with Adem’s lavish string arrangements and ingenious electronica.

The resulting collection of songs pushes the boundaries of Barker and Waterson’s renowned roots styles, venturing into a diverse union of genres – contemporary folk, country and soul nestle comfortably alongside lilting indie and playful blues. ‘A Window To Other Ways’ is the product of two revered musicians embarking upon an exciting, explorative journey, and a charmed collaboration.

Label Review. 

Reggae from the 1980s/90s. General Levy / Laurel & Hardy / Cutty Ranks feat. Asher Senator / Top Cat / Dee Sharp / Papa Face. Soul Jazz Records. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

London based label Soul Jazz Records are releasing ‘Fashion Records: Style & Fashion’ a new collection of music from the great Fashion Records, one of the most important and iconic independent reggae labels to come out of the UK, running from 1980 for nearly 20 years. In that time Fashion released hundreds of records that successfully reflected - and indeed set - the changing styles and perspectives of reggae music in the UK, from UK dancehall and lovers rock in the 1980s through to the mighty rise of jungle in the second half of the 1990s.

While nearly all other UK reggae labels focused on releasing Jamaican music, from the early days of Island and Trojan in the 1960s, through Island and Virgin in the 1970s and Greensleeves that came up in the 1980s, Fashion’s focus was firmly on music produced in the UK. This unique British perspective shaped both lyrical content and musical fashion. And like all the great music labels, from Studio One to Blue Note, Fashion was able to create a significant roster of its own artists.

Amazingly for a small independent label, a number of Fashion artists achieved mainstream UK chart and crossover success, including Laurel & Hardy, Smiley Culture and General Levy. But although this success was welcomed, crossing over into the mainstream was never the main focus for label owners Chris Lane and John McGillivray (who also runs the successful Dub Vendor record shop), whose starting point was always primarily focused on producing quality music first.

In the early 1980s, Fashion Records captured the rise of the emerging British dancehall scene in its ascendency. The large roster of first generation British-born artists and MCs on the label, including General Levy, Papa Face, Smiley Culture, Bionic Rhona, Asher Senator, Laurel & Hardy, Top Cat and many more, often gave a unique and sometimes humorous British lyrical perspective to Fashion releases, discussing everyday subjects, from police harassment to road safety.

Throughout much of the 1980s and into the 1990s Fashion continued to release an almost relentless array of UK dancehall releases as well as continuing with lovers rock and the occasional dub releases. Then, in the mid-90s, with the dancehall and reggae releases still coming on strong, Fashion released a superb series of early jungle tracks linking Jamaican and British MCs and dancehall artists with young jungle mixers, remixers and producers. By this time dancehall artists General Levy and Cutty Ranks had become the staple vocal samples of literally hundreds of white label jungle records and Fashion took advantage of this, often getting young producers to work in exchange for sample clearances.

This album is a subjective and scatter-gun ride through some of the many unique and heavyweight tracks to come out of the Fashion stable - some classics, some lesser-known, all 100% killer.

The album is released as a deluxe double CD with outsize booklet and slipcase, heavyweight triple vinyl (with digital download code) and digital download album. 

The album comes with extensive sleevenotes, interviews, exclusive photography and original artwork and flyers.

Fashion Soundsystem live show in Sounds Of The Universe with the founders plus MCsincluding Asher Senator and Papa Face.

Tracklisting

1. Papa Face featuring Red Man - Dance Pon De Corner

2. Dee Sharp - Let’s Dub It Up

3. Cutty Ranks - Limb By Limb (DJ SS Remix)

4. General Levy - Mad Them

5. Laurel & Hardy - You’re Nicked

6. Bunny General - Played By This Ya Sound

7. General Levy & Hard ‘n’ Pure - Wikkeda!!

8. Carlton Lewis - Small Talking

9. Poison Chang - Shot Fe Bust (Marvellous Cain Remix)

10. Dee Sharp - Rising To The Top

11. Papa Face With Keith Douglas - DJ Jamboree

12. General Levy - Heat

13. Carlton Lewis - Sweet Soul Rocking

14. Top Cat - Ruffest Gun Ark (DJ Rap Mix)

15. Papa San - DJ Business

16. Papa Face & Bionic Rhona - To The Bump

17. Cutty Ranks - As You See It

18. Janice Walker - You’ll Never Need Somebody

19. Asher Senator - Bubble With I

Label Review.

2019 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

‘All Time Present’ is the new album from Chris Forsyth a lauded guitarist and bandleader whose widescreen art-rock, fusing taut compositions and mercurial improvisations, has earned him a reputation as one of the most distinctive and critically acclaimed guitarists working today. Pitchfork called his music “a near-perfect balance between 70s rock tradition and present day experimentation,” NPR Music named Forsyth “one of rock’s most lyrical guitar improvisors,” and the New York Times calls him “a scrappy and mystical historian… His music humanizes the element of control in rock classicism (and) turns it into a woolly but disciplined ritual.”  

The annals of music history are over flowing with gifted guitar players whose egos prevented them from reaching their full potential: rather than being content to be exceptional members of a band, they instead create unexceptional records as leaders in vain attempts to prove their worth as solo artists. Guitarist-songwriter-bandleader Chris Forsyth is the rare exception that proves the rule. Rightfully but somewhat reductively known as a guitar player par excellence, one listen to Forsyth's latest double album, ‘All Time Present’, reveals that while his dazzling musicianship can always be taken for granted, it's hardly the whole story.

Forsyth's albums-presented with his Solar Motel Band or nominally solo, as here-have always been evidence of a musical mind brimming with ideas. Forsyth is joined on ‘All Time Present’ by bassist Peter Kerlin and multi-instrumentalist Shawn Edward Hansen, both longtime foils; new to the group is Ryan Jewell, a sublimely talented drummer whose musicality is seemingly bottomless. With this group, Forsyth is at the peak of his powers.

‘All Time Present’ is the rare double album that goes by in a ash. Indeed, one of Forsyth's greatest strengths as a composer and bandleader is his consistent ability to sustain interest even when at his most brazenly improvisational: he drifts, but he never meanders. On All Time Present, Forsyth's particular drift is like that of a proverbial wall flower with a sudden surge of unselfconscious courage: toward the dance floor.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

For Robin Trower, the next great song is always right there at his fingertips. For five decades, the British bluesman has written the same way. The valves glow in his Marshall amplifier. Those fabled hands roam the neck of his Fender Stratocaster. Then the music starts to flow: raw and real, played with fire and skill, untainted by commercial aspirations, accompanied by lyrics that get to the guts of the matter. “The songs always come when I’m playing the guitar,” explains Trower of his creative process. “Everything starts from there…”

So too began Trower’s latest studio album, ‘Coming Closer To The Day’. It’s rare to find a ’60s legend still on trailblazing form in their eighth decade. But while Trower’s peers recycle the old hits or retreat from view, the 73-year-old guitarist finds himself in a golden late-bloom of creativity. In recent years, his solo output has been championed by both press and public, with the impact of 2014’s ‘Something’s About To Change’, 2016’s ‘Where You Are Going To’ and 2017’s ‘Time & Emotion’ setting up some of his best-attended US dates since he conquered that continent with ‘Bridge Of Sighs’ in the mid-’70s. “I had two really excellent tours in ’17 and ’18,” he reflects. “A really great turnout, great response from the crowd. It’s been wonderful, really.”

Even at this career pinnacle, Trower admits he “just can’t stop”. And with ‘Coming Closer To The Day’, his songcraft and soulful performances have never sounded more alive – even on an album whose title track acknowledges that life is short and time precious. “I’m saying that I’m nearer the end than the beginning,” he explains. “But that doesn’t scare me. Not at all. If I went tomorrow, I’d feel like I’d been blessed with being able to achieve an incredible amount as a musician.”

Label Review. 

2019 album also available in CD.

Our Overview. 

Alt country band from Tennessee Lambchop who blend genres including country, rock and lounge are releasing ‘This (Is What I wanted To Tell You). Lambchop are a band that can be described as anything other than ordinary. They defy the very conventions of what a band is with something as fundamental as their line up. They have never had a core selection of musicians, instead Lambchop has consisted of a number of musicians that have come and gone over their career with the only real constant being the band's creative epicentre, frontman Kurt Wagner. They began with a somewhat traditional country sound before merging this with genres including post-rock and soul.

In recent years, the band has become a more personal vehicle for Kurt Wagner. Anchored by him and framed by bassist Matt Swanson and Wagner’s incorrigibly grinning foil, the pianist Tony Crow, the Lambchop of this decade has become more pliant and adaptable, opening itself to unexpected collaborators that give Wagner’s thoughts and feelings the shape they need for each new album. That was the idea for 2012’s engrossing ‘Mr.M’ (placed on Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of the Year) and 2016’s ‘Flotus’ and it remains the approach for ‘This(Is What I Wanted To Tell You’.

Kurt Wagner has been described as a gifted lyricist and innovator of genre. A write up in American Songwriter Magazined described the frontman's lyrical style as "witty and deeply insightful." So far they have released eleven albums since their career began in 1994, and despite the absence of chart success from their discography, their live show is something of a cult phenomena. The sheer volume of work and devoted tour schedule won them praise from publication AllMusic who stated that the band are "arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s".

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

Jenny Lewis has confirmed her highly anticipated return with her fourth solo album, ‘On The Line’ - the follow up to 2014’s critically acclaimed ‘The Voyager’ The 11 all new original songs were written by Lewis and recorded at Capitol Records’ Studio B, and feature a backing band of legendary talent including Beck, Benmont Tench, Don Was, Jim Keltner, and Ringo Starr.

Lewis has had a long a varied career starring as a child actor, largely in TV roles but occasionally some films including ‘Troop Beverley Hills’ (1989). She wound down her acting career after forming the band Rilo Kiley in 1998 and the group proceeded to gain commercial traction during the ‘00s. Initially trading with a country rock they developed a more indie rock sound by the time of the breakthrough album ‘Under The Blacklight’ (2007) which would prove to be their last. Jenny went solo and her last album became her first US Top 10 hit.

Label Review. 

2019 album also available in CD.

Our Overview. 

Strand Of Oaks was born Timothy Showalter and his new release ‘Erasurland’ as he declares of the new album “This record wasn't supposed to be here. I had thought for a moment Strand of Oaks might be over until a text from my friend, Carl Broemel, changed all that. Unbeknownst to me, four members of My Morning Jacket and Kevin Ratterman booked studio time to record songs I didn't think I’d ever write. But they believed I could and pulled me back from the brink. At last, the songs came–and quickly morphed into everything I've ever worked toward as this band.  

These ten songs are about existing and continuing on, a testament to the hope that even if we feel like we are disappearing, there is that glimmer of light. You may not come out the same person you started as, but that'sokay. I'm glad this record is here now for whoever chooses to find it. Welcome to Eraserland, where we all can start again.”

Writer-producer Timothy has always used the highs and lows of his own life as the source material for his gut punching rock songs. Each of his experiences examined, mediated on and crafted into confessional albums for the world to share. The therapeutic experience of making art this way was often short lived, leading Showalter to bouts of depression and after 2017’s ‘Hard Love’, he found himself spent. Empty and determined that he would never write songs again, dark thoughts crept in and Showalter, concerned for his own well-being decided to go on a spiritual pilgrimage – to the Jersey Shore.

During this time, the members of My Morning Jacket, good friends of Showalter’s had gotten word of the terrible state he was in and decided to take things into their own hands. Carl Broemel messaged Showalter and informed him that Bo Koster would be soon be on a two week break from his tour with Roger Waters and they would all be free to meet in Louisville to make the next Strand of Oaks record. Divine intervention or forceful ultimatum, it was the opportunity Showalter needed. He spent the following weeks on the beach doing a mental tearing down-to-the-studs. What emerged was ‘Eraserland’, a thrilling and monumental turn for Strand of Oaks.

Label Review. 

2019 compilation to tie-in with official documentary. Also available in CD.

Our Overview. 

The iconic Mötley Crüe are releasing ‘Dirt’ a compilation to tie in with the documentary about these rock legends. Mötley Crüe is one of The World’s Biggest and most notorious rock bands. They laid the foundation for their inimitable career in the '80s with their genre-bending music and relentless reputation, typifying an excess never before seen in modern music. They continued to evolve through the '90s and beyond, redefining what it meant to be storytellers in music, with the release of their NY Times Best-selling book, The Dirt, in 2001. This page-turning rock epic offered a glimpse into The Crüe’s iconic lives and has now become a Netflix original movie, giving fans a chance to reconnect with the band they know and love in an unprecedented way. 

As a band they have released nine studio albums, seven of which are certified platinum or multi-platinum, selling over 100 million copies worldwide; 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits; six Top 20 pop singles; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; three Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance; and countless sold-out tours across the globe during their 30 plus years on the road, playing to millions and generations of fans. Besides their hook-filled, groundbreaking music, Mötley Crüe’s image pioneered an attitude, fashion sense and lifestyle all of which are portrayed throughout the film capturing the nostalgia.

1 of 4 new tracks by Motley Crue will be featured on the album. “The Dirt (Est. 1981) features Machine Gun Kelly who is featured in the film. - Over 100 million records sold worldwide - Six Top 20 pop singles including hits “Kickstart My Heart”, “Dr. Feelgood”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and “Home Sweet Home” - Seven platinum / multi-platinum album certifications - Three Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance - Five NY Times Bestselling books to date, including ‘The Dirt’, one of the first tell-alls written by a band - "The Dirt" is one of the bestselling rock music biographies of all time NY Times Best Seller, over 1M copies sold worldwide - 35+ years of successful sold-out tours across the globe, playing to millions of multigenerational fans - Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - Pioneers of the Las Vegas rock residency - Death-defying stage production - Genre-bending music and fashion contributions to pop culture - ‘The Dirt’ audiobook release to coincide with the movie - Release date 3/22 - Netflix film release 3/22

Label Review. 

2019 album with 3 bonus tracks. Also available on CD and Vinyl.

Our Overview. 

‘Singing To Strangers’ is Jack Savoretti’s stylish new album and his most ambitious to date, his sixth studio effort is a lush, orchestrated, shamelessly romantic opus that doesn’t hold back. It’s 12 years since Savoretti released his debut album ‘Between The Minds’ and Jack puts his new album’s vibe down to his European background and all the passionate blood coursing through his veins. “It’s atmospheric, it’s melancholic . . . it’s my Italian DNA,” he says“I also think it’s to do with me growing up by the sea. I wanted the songs to have gravitas so I started listening to a lot of cinematic Italian and French music including Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire de Melody Nelson.”

Two co-writes on the album are amongst the highlights. “Touchy Situation” was co-written with Bob Dylan. Yes you read that right, Bob Dylan! A contact of Jack’s American manager had some old Dylan lyrics and he was fine with Jack writing music to them. It may have been because he’d heard Jack’s cover of the Dylan rarity ‘Nobody ‘Cept You’ on ‘Written In Scars’ – a song Jack found in Jackson Browne’s studio. The other collaboration was the Kylie Minogue cowrite "Music’s Too Sad Without You" which appears as a live version recorded in Venice.

‘Singing To Strangers’ was produced by Cam Blackwood (George Ezra), the album follows Jack’s last two gold discs ‘Written in Scars’ (2014) and ‘Sleep No More’ (2016) and was recorded in Rome at Ennio Morricone’s studio, the 12 track album features Jack’s acclaimed live band: guitarists Pedro Vito and Sam Lewis; bassist Sam Davies, drummer Jesper Lind and musical director Nikolai Torp on keys.“Lucikly Morricone’s studio is in the basement of this huge church so it was cooler,” Jack says. “And the atmosphere down there was essential and that was captured on ‘Candlelight’, which became the calling card of the album."

As for the title track Jack explains it’s origin: “That’s my job: I sing to strangers. That’s what I’ve spent most of my life doing. Singing to friends and family and fans; they’re already onside, so you can, to some extent sing anything. Strangers need convincing, touching, connection.”

Label Review. 

2019 album also available in CD.

Our Overview. 

Brit pop band Sleeper are releasing “The Modern Age’ their first album in 21 years. The band: Louise Wener, Andy Maclure, Johnathan Stewartand Keiron Pepper, spent summer 2018 recording The Modern Age with their long-time producer, Stephen Street – a relationship that clicked into place again right away. They tracked live at Metway studios in their adopted city of Brighton, before decamping to Street’s studio in West London to add the finishing touches.

'The Modern Age' is the outward looking sound of a band revitalised and refreshed. Covering subjects from motherhood and social media to personal loss and, inevitably, relationships. 'The Modern Age' retains Sleeper’s classic pop sensibilities with a shiny, new, contemporary feel. However the album wasn’t meant to happen. In fact, the band had promised each other it never would.

“We had no plan to get back together. Sometimes life throws you a massive curve ball. You end up jumping off the cliff, just to see what it feels like.”: Singer, Louise Wener.

Sleeper enjoyed huge critical and commercial success in the mid-90s: achieving 8 Top 40 singles across 3 Top 10 albums with well over 1,000,000 sales. Their music was characterised by astute, observational lyrics and big, hook driven melodies. Wener was an iconic front-person, heading up a movement that brought women centre stage in guitar music.

Sleeper split In 1998 and walked purposely away from the limelight. Wener carved out a career as a successful novelist. Drummer Andy Maclure and John Stewart – Sleeper’s guitarist – both became lecturers in music studies. Sleeper’s current line-up are joined by former Prodigy bassist Kieron Pepper.

Label Review. 

O2 Academy in Leeds on 9 December 2017.

Our Overview. 

In 2017, The Wedding Present played a series of concert dates to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of their classic debut album, ‘George Best’. With its bittersweet, breathtakingly honest love songs immersed in whirlwind guitars, ‘George Best’ struck a chord with outsiders across the indie universe. Suddenly, here was David Gedge; a geeky pied piper for our youthful missteps. 30 years on… we have laughed, loved and lived along with The Wedding Present but are we any different to the way we were during those first meanderings into love? Gedge’s words are still golden… and we will always remember our favourite dress. The NME described ‘George Best’ as “an unmitigated delight” upon its release and included it in its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Allmusic says “It would be nearly impossible to name the standout tracks, since... every tune is so solid”.

The album has achieved legendary status in the hearts and minds of alternative music fans everywhere. The final concert in the 30th anniversary series took place at the O2 Academy in Leeds on 9 December 2017. This was, of course, hugely appropriate because Leeds was the city where The Wedding Present were born and where ‘George Best’ was written, arranged, rehearsed and partly recorded. Appreciating the significance of the event, David Gedge decided that this Leeds show would be the last time that The Wedding Present would play ‘George Best’ live... ever!